Surinam Cockroach

Description: Female Surinam cockroaches are 3/4 to 1 inch long, brown, and the pronotum is dark brown-to-black. The wings are light brown and completely cover the abdomen. Males have never been found in the United States. Nymphs are dark brown to black and look much like immature Oriental cockroaches. The crescent-shaped egg capsule ootheca is light in color, soft, 1/2 to 5/8 inch long, and typically has 13 eggs per side.

Biology: The Surinam cockroach is parthenogenic. The egg capsules remain inside the female until the young nymphs emerge. Females produce three egg capsules each of which contains about 26 eggs. There is a 48 to 82 day interval between egg capsule production. Nymphs require 127 to 184 days to reach maturity, and development from egg to adult requires from 162 to 219 days. The female lives for approximately 307 days.

Habits: Surinam cockroaches are tropical insects usually found in humid and hot situations, e.g., outdoors in the Gulf Coast states from Florida to Texas. Isolated populations reported in greenhouses, mall and office atriums, and zoos throughout the United States have been introduced via potted plants shipped from tropical areas.

These cockroaches burrow into the soil to a depth of three to four inches where they construct a burrow containing nymphs and females incubating their egg capsules. They typically go unnoticed until large populations develop because they remain inside cracks and crevices and under leaf litter and mulch during the day, coming out at night to feed on plants. Surinam cockroaches are plant feeders and can severely damage plants in greenhouses and atriums.

Control: Removing harborage sites, e.g., leaf litter, mulch, landscape timbers, stones and other objects close to a foundation is the key to a successful control program. When indoor infestations occur in commercial facilities, the plant supplier should be contracted as plants usually are the source of the infestation.